Clip for fountain pens and other articles



May 17, 1949. COYNE CLIP FOR FOUNTAIN PENS AND OTHER ARTICLES INVENTOR. 7 DA V; z: c o YNE ATTORNEY Filed Feb. 21, 1945 BY p Patented May 17, 1949 CIJIP'FOR'FOUNTAIN PENS'QNDiOTHER ARTICLES-.-,.5

David .Coyne, N ew-Yoi'luN Y. Apiilicafidli l' eblilflry 21, 1945;9-Setiai: N 579,064 4 Glaims. (CI. 24- 11) T F- 1 5. This inventiondzelates. to clips for fountatnspens androtherv articiesZ- Thesprimary objectof the:presentzinventioncis to iprcvideca safetywcliptwhichxis somonstructed andvrelatedato ithez'capaof :the "itountaitripen that it aflords aimproved imeans for (retaining; theipen in rattachedurelatidnito th poeketi of a garment in which rthelpensis usually Catlifii': .In thief-connection. a morespeciflc obiectof therinventiohris to provide-fa retaininguclip! aorriclas'mwhichcis so constructed :as to Igreatiyfl-reduce or qoreventrimlpairment of theiretai ningi functionoof thenclip due to decreasain or lessor resiliency :pf the clip; For example, in one type of clip n ow widely used onfountain spenvcaps, a resilient member is fastened to oneendwof thecapandextends longitudinally of the cap in resilient engagement with or close to the side'of the-cap; It has been found, however, that after this type of cliphas-beeH used for sometime; repeating .zfiexing" of the clip in attaching the pen to and detaching the same from the garment results in impairmentof the retaining function of the cliptlue to the 'bending of 'thespring arm of the clip away fromthe side of the cap, clip away'from the'side of the cap being accumpanied by 'or resulting in decreased resiiien'crof said springarmw This serious'objectionand' disadvantage is eliminated by the clip of the present invention.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a fountain pen provided with a retaining clip embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is shown a fountain pen cap III which is attached in the usual way in covering relation to the pen carried by the fountain pen barrel, a part of which is indicated at l2 in Figs. 1 and 2. The retaining clip of the present invention comprises a resilient metal member l4 having a laterally extending end portion l6 attached to the closed end l8 of the cap it! in any suitable way as by a screw which passes through an opening 22 in lateral portion "5 of retaining member l4 and on a larger scale,

said bending of thespring arm-of the is threadedintothe end .of cams. LA second-retainingmember 24 has a laterally'fextending end portion .r25 also' secured, as here shown, to .the closedend 18 iii thecap by screw 2U,'said lateral end'p'ortioii of member 24 being provided with an opening; Z'Ifi'through which. the screw projects.

Forconvenience in reference, members I4 and 24 may be termed inner and outer retaining memberafrespectiVely'." The spring arm..28-Of sinner retainingimember .M is attached at a point'be tweenitsopposite' ends to a metal ferrule or ring 30"ii11am7 suitableway as bya rivet e1ement32, as illustrated in Fig.8 If desired; ring 38 fc'anbe secured tbeaprifl by a rivet eras illustrated, or in 'any othei' suitable way;- Riiigtfl provided with a lateralprojection'tfi "(FigsLJI and 4) which hol'ds' 'spring'arm 28 of "inner retaining member I in spaced relation to "the "outer surface of cap ill so that the gripping-portion of said spring arm c'air'fleirtoward the adj acent side portion of cap H) *when attached t'o the side of the pocket in whichthe'pen is carried: 'Inner spring arm 28 is fiexedor "spring-biased; byits own resiliency, toward "outer spring arm 36 in resilient engagement therewitln? Outer retaining 'member '24 is formed or sheet metal and is less resilient than spring"arm28 of inner retaining member I l so that when "the side of the pocket is inserted between arm 28 of inner retaining member l4 and the confronting arm 36 of outer retaining member 24, spring arm 28 is flexed toward cap Ill below ring 30. As arm 36 of outer retaining member 24 is preferably stiifer than spring arm 28, said arm 36 does not easily bend away from cap l0. On the other hand, the inward flexing of spring arm 28 is limited by the engagement of the free end 38 of said arm with the side of cap l0 when the side wall of the pocket is positioned between inner and outer arms 28 and 36. Thus, both arms 28 and 36 resiliently engage the side wall of the pocket when said side wall is positioned between said two arms, although it will be understood that it is within the scope of the present invention to provide the outer retaining member 24 with no or negligible resiliency in its arm 36. Preferably, as illustrated the outer end portions, 1. e., the gripping portions, of arms 28 and 36 have interfitting portions 39 and 40, respectively, to improve the grip of said arms on the part of the garment to which the clip is attached. Inner and outer retaining members [4 and 24 are preferably provided with means for holding them in relative position whereby to prevent relative lateral displacement of arms 28 and 36, or conversely, to maintain said arms in confronting relation. Any suitable means may be provided for this purpose, for example, laterally extending end portion N3 of retaining member It may be provided with one or more recesses 42 in which projections 44 canied by the laterally extending portion 26 of outer retaining member 24 project.

While I have shown and described the presently preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the latter may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described and that in the illustrated embodiment certain changes in the details of construction and in the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the underlying idea of the invention within the scope of the appended claims. Also it will be understood that while the retaining clip of the present invention has been illustrated as applied to a fountain pen, said retaining clip can be used on pencils, thermometer cases, or other articles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the class dscribed comprising a cap, individually separate inner and outer retaining members having laterally extending end portions secured to each other and to one end of said cap and having confronting arms extending longitudinally of the cap, the arm of said inner member being spring-biased toward the arm of a said outer member and arranged to be flexed laterally toward the adjacent side of the cap in in resilient gripping relation with said arm of the outer member, and means positioned between the ends of the arm of said inner member for holding the gripping portion of said inner arm spaced from the adjacent side of the cap in position to be flexed toward said side of the cap.

2. A retaining device of the class described, comprising a pair of individually separate members having laterally extending attaching portions at their adjacent ends and having inner and outer confronting arms separable at their opposite ends, the portions of said arms adjacent said opposite ends being relatively flexible toward and away from each other in resilient articlegripping relation and said outer arm being less flexible than said inner arm, and interengaging means on said laterally extending end portions of said members for holding said arms in said confronting relation.

3. A device of the class described comprising a cap, individually separate inner and outer retaining members having laterally extending end portions secured to each other and to one end of said cap and having confronting arms extending longitudinally of the cap, the arm of said inner member being spaced from the adjacent side of the cap and spring-biased toward the arm of said outer member and arranged to be flexed laterally toward the adjacent side of the cap in resilient gripping relation with said arm of the outer member, said inner arm being more easily flexible than said outer arm.

4. A device of the class described comprising a cap, individually separate inner and outer retaining members having laterally extending end portions secured to each other and to one end of said cap and having confronting arms extending longitudinally of the cap, the arm of said inner member being spring-biased toward the arm of said outer member and arranged to be flexed laterally toward the adjacent side of the cap in resilient gripping relation with said arm of the outer member, said inner arm being more easily flexible than said outer arm, and means positioned between the ends of the arm of said inner member for holding the gripping portion of said inner arm spaced from the adjacent side of the cap in position to be flexed toward said side of the cap.

DAVID COYNE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,311,574 Palmer July 29, 1919 1,347,090 Hahn July 20, 1920 2,130,853 Marshall Sept. 20, 1938 2,268,116 Gordon Dec. 30, 1941 2,293,430 Forrest Aug. 18, 1942 2,318,950 Larmour May 11, 1943 

